NFL Picks Week 7: Final Thoughts on Every Game

Week 7 of the 2011 NFL season brings with it several intriguing matchups that are sure to have a major impact on the playoff landscape moving forward. There are still plenty of mid-tier teams looking to break out, and this could be the week it happens.

At the same time, many of the league's teams that are perceived to be elite have seemingly easy games. Although we could see a number of blowouts, big upsets seem to happen on a weekly basis, so no team can be discounted.

Here are my final thoughts and predictions for each of Week 7's 13 games.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Cleveland Browns

With both the Seahawks and Browns sitting at 2-3, a win could really propel both teams, while a loss would be extremely damaging. Neither team is overly exciting, but both seem to find ways to hang around in games.

The Seahawks surprised many by upsetting the New York Giants on the road two weeks ago, but they are generally much better at home. Since Cleveland is the home team and quarterback Colt McCoy has been running head coach Pat Shurmur's offense well, I'm going with the Browns.

Browns 24, Seahawks 20

Atlanta Falcons vs. Detroit Lions

In what may be one of the week's most exciting games, the 3-3 Atlanta Falcons will host the 5-1 Detroit Lions on Sunday. The Lions are coming off their first loss of the season, and the Falcons are still trying to rebound from a disappointing start.

The Falcons are much more talented than their record suggests and will probably try to pound the rock with Michael Turner. Detroit is for real, though, and with quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson working against Atlanta's poor secondary, the Lions should come out on top.

Lions 31, Falcons 28

Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans

With the Indianapolis Colts' downfall, the AFC South is ripe for the picking this season. The two teams that seem most likely to capture the division are the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans and they will battle for AFC South supremacy on Sunday.

The Titans lead the Texans by a half game, but they were decimated by the Pittsburgh Steelers in their last game. Houston has lost its past two games without wide receiver Andre Johnson, but I think they have a more talented squad than Tennessee and running back Arian Foster will run well in a Texans win.

Texans 21, Titans 20

Denver Broncos vs. Miami Dolphins

Few would normally care about a game between the 1-4 Denver Broncos and 0-5 Miami Dolphins, but quarterback Tim Tebow will get his first start of the season for the Broncos after the benching of former starter Kyle Orton.

The Dolphins have been a mess this season and have only gotten worse since quarterback Chad Henne was lost for the season. Because of Miami's weak secondary, I expect Tebow to have a big game Sunday as he will make head coach John Fox look like a genius for making the switch.

Broncos 27, Dolphins 17

San Diego Chargers vs. New York Jets

The New York Jets snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Dolphins last week, and will look to pick up some momentum by beating the 4-1 San Diego Chargers this week. While most expected the Jets to easily make the postseason, they are in a precarious position at 3-3.

San Diego has started off well for a change, but its schedule has been quite easy. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has uncharacteristically struggled this season, and things won't get any easier against the Jets secondary. If New York can get the ground game going, then I think an upset is in the cards.

Jets 23, Chargers 20

Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are considered to be the home team, the Bucs will "host" the Chicago Bears across the pond in jolly old England as part of the NFL's annual foray to London.

Both the Bears and Bucs are difficult teams to figure out as they can go from looking like an elite team to a bottom feeder at the drop of a hat. The Bears will need Matt Forte to run well in order to be successful, but I think the Bears' offensive line will fail them as the Bucs pass-rush will get to quarterback Jay Cutler and force some mistakes.

Buccaneers 20, Bears 14

Washington Redskins vs. Carolina Panthers

While the Carolina Panthers are just 1-5, they will be favored when they host the 3-2 Washington Redskins this week. The Redskins started off hot, but with John Beck being inserted as the starting quarterback, there are tons of question marks.

The only question surrounding Carolina's quarterback is "how good can he get?" Well, it appears as though the sky is the limit for rookie quarterback Cam Newton. Because of his rocket arm and quick feet, I expect the Panthers to hand the 'Skins a second straight loss.

Panthers 24, Redskins 17

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders

The Kansas City Chiefs have bounced back a bit with two consecutive wins after starting off 0-3, but they will have an extremely difficult matchup this weekend on the road against the AFC West rival Oakland Raiders.

Oakland made a huge splash by trading for former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer at the deadline, but he is unlikely to play on Sunday. Even so, the Raiders should still be in good shape provided they pound the rock with running back Darren McFadden against a suspect Kansas City run defense.

Raiders 27, Chiefs 20

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals

Many expected the Arizona Cardinals to make big strides this season after acquiring quarterback Kevin Kolb in the offseason. That hasn't come to fruition, as they currently sit at 1-4 and are awaiting a date with the 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers haven't been their dominant selves this season, but they have largely the same team as last year when they made it all the way to the Super Bowl. While Pittsburgh is usually known for defense, the offense could have a field day against a weak Arizona defense. Look for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to hit wide receiver Mike Wallace with some bombs in this one.

Steelers 35, Cardinals 21

St. Louis Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys

Despite being 2-3, the Dallas Cowboys are probably one of the NFL's most talented teams. If not for blown leads late against top teams like the New York Jets, Detroit Lions and New England Patriots, they could conceivably be undefeated right now.

They are what their record says they are, but the Cowboys have a very advantageous matchup with the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. St. Louis will be desperate for a win at 0-5, but with quarterback Sam Bradford out with a high ankle sprain, I look for Tony Romo and the Cowboys to rout the Rams.

Cowboys 38, Rams 17

Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings

Most expected the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers to be excellent this season, but at 6-0 with several convincing victories, the Packers would seem to be far and away the best team in football.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has picked up where he left off last season, and should be in for another huge game this weekend against the 1-5 Minnesota Vikings. Not only will the Vikings likely struggle to defend the pass, but rookie quarterback Christian Ponder will be making his first career start. All of those factors point to an easy win for Green Bay.

Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints

Seeing the Indianapolis Colts is certainly a strange sight, but it isn't overly shocking as most realized that injured quarterback Peyton Manning meant everything to the team. Things are unlikely to get better this week, as the Colts will face the 4-2 New Orleans Saints on Sunday night.

The Saints are coming off a disappointing loss to Tampa Bay last week and will surely want to make a statement. Saints quarterback Drew Brees had an uncharacteristically bad game last week with three interceptions, so I look for him to utilize all of his weapons and have a monster game en route to a big Saints victory.

Saints 41, Colts 20

Baltimore Ravens vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Monday Night Football is supposed to be reserved for one of the week's biggest and most competitive games, but I don't expect there to be much competition when the 1-5 Jacksonville Jaguars host the 4-1 Baltimore Ravens on Monday.

Aside from a Week 2 loss to Tennessee, the Ravens have been absolutely dominant this season as the defense looks as good as ever and the offense is extremely well-balanced. Baltimore's defense will probably look to shut down Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, meaning rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert will have to beat them. That doesn't bode well for the Jags.

Ravens 34, Jaguars 10